Beneath the Waves
by The Shiax Artist
Summary: Kal-El (Clark Kent) is the head of security for the Intresid, an intergalactic ship full of the galaxy's best. When they land on an unexplored ocean planet Kal takes the first day to relax and After a violent storm Kal-el finds and saves the strangest creature he's ever He can only akin it to an octopus. (CKxB5) This is NOT a Little Mermaid fic and is rated M for later chapters.
1. Kal's POV

Okay! Quick explanation so you guys know what I'm doing before you read. XD

Kal-el IS Clark Kent (Superman), NOT Kel-el (SupermanX)

A lot of things are different for this story than for LoSH and JL, just ask and if I didn't plan to explain it in-story I'll answer it in the next chapter.

OH, and big thing! For the moment I plan to keep this T rated, BUT, I was thinking of doing an M rated yaoi fic with this instead. (If I don't, than I might just write this one than do a side-story that's M rated. Let me know what you guys want/think~)

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Kal-el gave a wide yawn as he stepped out onto the deck, looking out over the massive ocean planet below them. He stood tall as the head of security for the Intresid, a massive spaceship full of the worlds most prestigious scientists, biologists, mechanics, and engineers. Kal had been chosen to lead in protecting the ship not only because he had proven himself in the past, but because he was the last of his kind. As a Kryptonian he was fast, strong, and had more powers and abilities than anyone else on board.

The planet they were just now descending through the atmosphere of was an ocean planet that supposedly held no intelligent life. More than 95% of the planet was covered in water, leaving the rare patches of land to be small and far between. Kal-el's team had already checked the planet to make sure there were no stray ships hiding out so he had been given the day off to explore and enjoy himself.

Kal steadied himself as the Intresid dropped down into the water, rocking for a moment before settling on the surprisingly still water. Kal lifted up into the air and took a deep breath, it was nice to be on a planet with the same air properties as Earth had. He ran a hand through his short-cut black hair and made sure to wave at Tinya before flying off to go explore the new planet.

Kal-el passed several sand dunes and undersea mountains that rose up out of the water just enough to be seen. Mostly he just found water, water, and more water. Kal was suddenly wishing they had stopped on one of the other planets in the sector, like the jungle planet, at least then he'd have something to do.

Kal's mood lifted when he spotted an island that had to count as at least one percent of the five on the planet that was land. It was almost perfectly round with a burst of brightly colored trees growing up in the middle, a white sanded beach formed a crescent around the, mostly rock, island. Kal landed and took a quick walk around before deciding to kick his boots off and sit down in the warm sand.

He quickly made the little beach his own, a pillow of blue leaves from the trees and a few fruits he had plucked and checked from the red palm-like trees. He relaxed and soaked up the yellow rays from the sun he had been missing for months now. He got plenty of sun when on the Intresid, but only through the shielded windows, where he couldn't feel the warmth and power it granted him. Kal didn't realize he had fallen asleep until he was awoken by the loud beeping of his communicator. Kal rubbed his eyes, frowning at how dark and clouded the sky had become, and lifted his communicator up in front of him.

"El here, what's up Phantom?" He asked when he saw Tinya's pale face, wondering if everything was alright.

"Hey Kal," Tinya chirped with a smile, putting Kal at ease. "a heavy storm is brewing on this side of the planet, big enough that it could do some damage to Intresid if we stayed put."

"Do you need me to come back?" Kal asked, moving to grab his boots.

"No no, I just called to let you know we'll be moving a bit further from you and going underwater so you won't be able to reach us until we resurface after the storm breaks. Is that alright?"

"That's fine, I found a little island to relax on and the storm won't bother me. I'll keep my link up in case you need me though."

"Alright~" Tinya smiled, waving goodbye and disconnecting. Tinya had always been the most friendly of the scientists that Kal protected. The others were nice as well, but the Bgztlian had made it her goal to be Kal-el's first friend on the Intresid. Kal had nicknamed her Phantom, not just for her appearance, but her powers and the way she liked to sneak up on him and tackle him with hugs.

Kal yawned and put his communicator away, looking up at the continually darkening sky. He could tell just by how eerily calm everything had become that the storm that was about to hit was certainly going to be a rough one.

Barely twenty minutes later Kal was sitting in the middle of a typhoon, the wind and rain tearing at the island and crashing waves over the top of Kal's head. Kal, however, appeared almost untouched, drawing lazy circles in the wet sand that never stayed and was always washed or blown away within seconds. The storm was a rather beautiful thing to watch, blue and silver lightning streaking across the sky and splitting the waves that rose high up over Kal's head.

During one particularly large wave that crashed down over Kal-el and the island, Kal was certain he had seen something mixed in, the soft purple light only visible for a second before it vanished in the trees. Said trees had surprised Kal with their resilient performance, standing strong against winds and waves that would have torn down any tree or home back on Earth.

After a few hours the storm finally moved on enough to let the sun come out and dry off Kal and his little island. Kal waited until he was dry before standing and stretching his arms out above his head. He checked the Intresid's coordinates and found that the storm was right over them, leaving them stuck underwater for a little while longer. Kal decided it was a good a time as any to check what the rest of the island held, seeing as he had only walked around it and not into it.

Kal wasted no time dumping the sand and water out of his boots and slipping them back on, stepping past the treeline and heading inland. He spotted a few little lizard-like creatures and a few birds here and there, but nothing bigger than a simple house cat. Kal actually jumped when he heard the crumbling of rock and a loud splash.

Kal felt silly for being surprised, but shook it off and crept forward to find the source. Like all the other planets they had been to it was imperative that Kal and the others keep their presence secret until they knew whether or not the planet contained intelligent life. If not then they could go about their business without care, but if so they had to be much more careful.

Kal barely stopped himself from stepping over the edge of a massive pit that had somehow formed from the stone the island was mostly made of. It was nearly fifty feet deep with high angled walls. The storm had filled it with water, but the raging sun had already evaporated quite a bit of it. The porous red rock of the walls reminded Kal of coral, delicate and brittle-looking. Kal quickly stepped back when he saw something move at the bottom of the tall pit.

Kal froze and stared when he recognized the soft purple glow just beneath the water. He watched it swim in a slow circle before diving down for a moment before rising up and shooting out of the water. Kal couldn't help but blink at the strange being that jumped up and grabbed hold of the wall, all eight of its tentacles grabbing hold of anything they could.

The green-skinned octo-humanoid was obviously male, his bare, flat chest and strong arms were proof of that. From his head to his pelvis he was an almost grass-green color with a pale green circle on his chest, one on each shoulder, and three in a V on his forehead. His eyes were that same pale green, but his irises were a darker purple, while his pupil was an almost pale pink color. Under each eye was a glowing purple line, almost like glowing eyeliner.

On each side of his head sat a large fin with dark green webbing and glowing purple edges. His head was covered in what looked like short blond hair, but Kal's kryptonian eyes could see that it wasn't hair, but instead razor-thin quills. Kal watched the merman huff as he climbed, three glowing gills fluttered beneath each collar-bone and he dug his little white claws into the rock. Each finger-tip and palm was covered in glowing purple pads that seemed to assist in him sticking to the rock.

Every time the merman reached up Kal could see the transparent green webbing that sat between each finger and that went from his hips to his elbows. From his hips down his skin started to darken, turning almost black before the end of each tentacle. Where each tentacle met around his underside was dark green webbing like he had on his ears, forming something like a flesh-skirt.

What confused Kal the most was the merman's underside. The edge of the flesh-skirt and the underside length of each tentacle was the same bright, glowing purple that was under his eyes and on his hands. Judging by the rest of his coloring the merman seemed to be a deep-sea dweller, but the bright glowing purple seemed extremely out of place. Wouldn't such colors draw predators and make it hard to hide in the darkness of the ocean?

Kal's musings were cut short when the rocks beneath the merman's grasp crumbled and sent him falling back down, splashing back into the shallow water. Kal watched the merman pop back up and glare at the wall, slapping his hand and tentacles angrily across the water. From the piles for rocks that were forming at the bottom of the pit Kal could tell this wasn't his first attempt to climb out.

Kal sat quietly in the bushes, he wanted to help, really he did, but he could just hear the fit Rokk would have if he found out Kal had interfered with an intelligent life form. Because that's what this merman was, intelligent. Kal could tell by the way he studied and scanned the rocks for a way up, the way he pouted and clicked in his own odd language as he attempted to figure his way out of the pit he had been forced into.

The merman scoffed and disappeared under the water, going to the bottom before shooting up again, latching onto a different spot this time, a little higher than before. Kal could feel himself rooting for the green man as he climbed the steep rock-face. He felt it even more when the rock the merman was clinging to cracked away from the wall. The merman seemed to realize what was happening and quickly let go, falling down again.

This time however he hit rock instead of water, the crumbled rocks from before had formed a jagged mound just large enough that when he fell back on it his back was forced into an odd angle and he cried out in pain. Kal felt his heart jump into his throat as the boulder in the wall finally came loose and fell, aiming right for the merman. The merman was out cold, the jarring impact to his spine had knocked him clean out.

Kal would most certainly be using that as his excuse as to why he flew down and caught the boulder, tossing it to the side and kneeling down beside the merman. Kal used his x-ray vision to check him over, finding that his spine was intact, but his shoulder had been dislocated and he had a large gash in his back that was leaking bright green blood.

Kal quickly rolled him over and put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding, digging in his belt-pouch for his medikit. He found it and pulled the little box out, setting it beside him and popping it open. Despite its size, the little medikit had everything a person needed to take care of themselves in a pinch, something Kal-el had never needed to use before.

Kal pulled out a small pen-like device and clicked the dial at the top to the white notch. He removed his hand and ran the pen tip over the wound, cleaning it of water, dirt, and blood. Next Kal clicked it to the yellow notch and repeated the motion. This time each side of the cut pulled together, held together by a pale yellow gel. It was only meant to be a temporary hold.

Kal let out a steady breath as he turned the dial to the red notch, holding it carefully over the wound. Just as Kal touched the tip to the end of the gash and it started to burn-stitch the wound together the merman woke up. It certainly wasn't a calm, graceful awakening either.

The merman let out a shrill shriek of pain at the burning feeling and turned on Kal, his eyes widening and fear kicking in. He yelped when he tried to use his dislocated arm and put pressure on it, trying to get away from Kal, who had a hold on his hip. Kal was doing his best to try and hold him still, trying to calm him down as he wrestled with him as gently as he could.

The merman's head-fans were opened to their fullest, his tentacles wrapped around Kal's arms, waist, and neck in an attempt to pull him off. The merman bared his shark-like teeth trying to intimidate Kal. Kal was rather skilled with the amount of pressure the human body could take, so he could tell that the merman was actually quite strong, anyone without super-strength would have either passed out or at least had their arms crushed from the force behind the merman's tentacles.

Kal actually yelped when the tips of each tentacle suddenly grew long barbs, each glowing purple and attempting to stab into Kal's skin. Suddenly he realized why the merman had such bright colors. It was a warning. He was poisonous. Kal silently thanked god that his skin was too tough for the barbs to break through, but he frowned when he saw the sudden fear and desperation growing on the merman's face when he realized how powerless he was against the two-legged man.

Kal frowned and set the pen aside, moving up to flip the merman onto his stomach again and pin him down. The green male cried and struggled, seeming certain he was going to die and tried to pull himself free of Kal's grasp. He gasped and cried when Kal grabbed his dislocated arm in his strong grasp. Kal placed his hand carefully on the merman's shoulder and lined the arm up with the socket.

From the way the merman was struggling Kal was certain he thought he was going to rip the arm off. He frowned when one of the barbs tried to stab his eye. With as much care as he could Kal popped the arm back into the socket, eliciting a shriek of pain from the blond male. Kal let him go, but stayed seated on his waist to keep him pinned down.

The merman cried and pulled his arm close, but looked back at Kal in confusion, fear still evident in his pale eyes. Kal picked the pen back up and placed his hand flat against the merman's back, holding him down. Kal leaned close and calmly whispered that it was okay. Strangely enough Kal's tone seemed to calm the merman enough that when he started to burn-stitch the wound shut the merman bit his lip and curled up. He cried from the pain, but didn't struggle like before, obviously understanding that Kal was just trying to help.

By the time Kal had finished the merman had gone completely limp, his tentacles strewn out across the rocks and his body as lax as he could get, his eyes closed and his glow dimmed. Kal put the pen away and grabbed a transparent patch and placed it over the wound to keep it clean and to speed up the final healing stage. Kal put his medikit back in his belt and carefully climbed off of the merman, watching him carefully.

It took a moment for him to register that Kal had finished and gotten off of him, but he weakly opened his eyes and glanced at Kal. They looked at one another for a moment before the merman lifted himself shakily with his arms and dragged himself into the water, away from Kal. He swam slowly to the far side of the pit and laid down under the water, curling in on himself and hiding his face.

Kal couldn't describe how guilty the action made him feel, the weak motions mixed with the look of surrender made Kal want to hug the little merman to his chest and apologize until he couldn't speak. But fate intervened and Kal jumped when his communicator went off, watching the merman flinch and glance up as well. Kal-el fumbled to pull it out and held it up, brushing his hair back with his other hand.

"Y-Yeah?" He asked, trying to look as calm as he could when Garth's face greeted him.

"Hey Kal-el, the storm has passed us over and we're up on top of the water again. Tinya said she needed some help moving the genepods. Rokk is busy getting a diving team together so do you think you could come back and give her a kryptonian hand?" Garth chuckled, scratching the back of his head with his mechanical hand.

"O-Of course." Kal said, not really wanting to leave, but he had a job to do and he could always come back the moment the Intresid quieted down for the night. Garth said a quick 'thank you' and disconnected, leaving Kal to glance worriedly at the, now sleeping, merman. He'd come back later, there was no way he could just leave him here. Kal lifted quietly into the air and sped back towards his ship, determined to bring a peace offering later that night.

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As always, please leave me a comment, question, or review so I know how to improve. :) Thank you~


	2. Querl's POV

Suuuper short chapter~

And at the moment this is gonna stay a T rated story, but if I start getting more people who want it M rated then I'll certainly start writing the scenes I want to~

And quick warning, T or M, this story will still be a KalxQuerl story, meaning a bit of gay love here and there.

Blue Stone: I'm so glad you like it :) I'll do my best to keep it going and to keep it good. (Here's hoping I get a few more people who want it M XD)

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Querl watched the two-legged man fly away in awe, wondering how he was flying without wings or a gravity stone. He shook his head when he was starting to think too much and curled back into his spot, cringing at the sting of pain in his back, both from his spine and shoulder. Surprisingly the gash he had gotten, now sealed by the strange two-leg, didn't hurt in the least. Querl even touched it with one of his legs and found it felt like it wasn't even there.

Querl was quietly cursing himself for not listening to Nura's warning when he left that morning, she had seemed so frantic, trying to warn him of a dream she'd had. Querl had brushed her off, not to be rude, but because her 'visions' never seemed to hold any ground. The others had taken to calling her 'Dream Girl', seeing as she was too young to really see any true visions.

Or so Querl had thought. Now he was sitting in shallow water at the bottom of an impossibly tall pit with in-climbable walls, injured, scared, and alone. He'd never admit it, but he really was scared. He had just been pinned and 'helped' by a creature he had never seen before that was so strong that he couldn't do anything against it. There were very few creatures that would even come near Querl, let alone touch him. Even fewer were able to withstand his strength and barbs.

Out of all the mermadons in his reef Querl was the only one that was able to swim freely in the large waters. This made him far more curious and in turn, far more intelligent. Querl was able to swim and inspect things and creatures the others would never get anywhere near. Chuck was one of the only people that would join Querl on his daily crusade, but only because Querl scared off most creatures and Chuck could puff up and scare off the rest.

Querl smiled at the thought of Chuck trying to scare the two-leg off, he could just imagine the unimpressed face on the man. Querl frowned when he realized he was thinking about him, he shook his head and ignored it. Instead he decided to test his arm, stretching it out and rotating it to check it. It gave a loud pop, but otherwise felt just fine.

Querl's spine still hurt like a bitch, but he was still able to move, swimming slowly to the rocks in the middle and pulling himself up to inspect the walls again. He knew there was no he could climb the crumbling walls, but he was desperate to get out. He could always wait for another storm to fill the pit with water, but storms, while strong, were few and Querl was running out of water.

Querl's mind drifted to the flying two-leg, certainly he was strong enough to-no, no, Querl couldn't expect him to come back. He wasn't even sure if he wanted him to come back. He was grateful, sure, but he also didn't know what the two-leg wanted. A rule of the ocean, no one ever wanted something for nothing.

Querl curled his legs up around the rocks and crossed his arms, looking up at the trees that leaned over the edge of the pit. After inspecting them for a moment Querl got an idea, scooting back on the rocks and picking up a good-sized one with one of his legs. Reeling back Querl threw the rock with all his might, smiling when the rock smashed into the tree, scattering the birds that had been roosting in it.

Querl's legs curled happily when the tree and its neighbor swayed and dropped leaves, vines, and some fruit into the pit. Querl clicked and jumped into the water when a branch fell, smashing down on the rocks. Querl waited until things had stopped falling before collecting it all up on the rocks to see what he had.  
Querl put the leaves and fruit aside, not able to use them, and started to tie the vines together and to the middle of the branch. By the time Querl had finished, having had to throw two more rocks to get enough vines, it had gotten dark. Inside the pit was even darker than the sky thanks to the trees that blocked out the last few rays of the sun. Thankfully Querl's natural glow lit up his area well enough that he could still see.

It took three tries for Querl to throw the branch-hook high enough to catch the base of one of the trees. Querl tugged on it and tested it with his full weight before smiling in satisfaction. Maybe he would actually get out of the near bone-dry pit.

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves before hoisting himself up, pulling himself up slowly but surely. On such a thin rope his legs were useless, leaving them to dangle as extra weight beneath him. He was halfway up when his hand slipped, dropping him a few feet before he was able to tighten his hold and stop. His heart was pounding in his chest as he looked down. A fall from this height, with how little water there was left, would most certainly injure him, if not just kill him.

He panted and tried to calm himself, yelping when a voice sounded out behind him. Querl wrapped his legs around the vine in any way he could as he spun his head to look, seeing the flying two-leg just feet away, hovering in the air with minimal effort, a strange blue bag over his shoulder. The two-leg gave a weak smile and spoke again, frowning when Querl just stared at him, unable to understand.

The two-leg opened his mouth to speak a third time when they both heard a loud crack from above. Querl yelped when the branch-hook snapped and he fell. He flinched when he felt the two-legs arms wrap around his waist, catching him and saving him from falling. The man chuckled and held Querl carefully, rising up out of the pit and landing on the beach near the water.

Querl blinked when he was set down and the man stepped back. Something stopped Querl from simply dashing into the water and swimming home as quickly as he could, looking back at the two-leg with a curious expression. The man smiled when he realized Querl wasn't going to run off and slowly sat down in the sand, speaking in a kind, gentle tone that helped Querl relax and stay put.

Querl slowly pulled himself up to sit a few feet away as the man pulled his bag off and set it in front of him. He pulled out a slim metal tube and a few little metal boxes, setting them in the sand as he pulled out a few more things. Querl's curiosity got the better of him and he picked one of the boxes up, turning it over a few times before opening it. Inside was a slab of freshly cooked meat and while Querl never had to cook his food the smell to his empty stomach was intoxicating.

The man seemed to notice Querl's expression and chuckled, saying something and motioning for Querl to go ahead. Querl frowned, hesitating to eat something strange. He froze when the man smiled and reached out, he broke a small piece off and popped it in his mouth, making a show of chewing and swallowing it to let Querl know there was nothing funny about it.

Querl's empty stomach won over caution and Querl picked it up, sinking his sharp teeth into the meat and ripping it apart. The meat was still fairly raw, just cooked enough to get rid of any bacteria. The blood and sauce stained Querl's lips and hands, but he didn't really care, it was the best thing he'd eaten in a very long time. Being one for intelligence instead of strength Querl typically only hunted smaller fish and didn't eat very often, giving reason to his small size and stature.

When Querl was finished eating the man offered him another box, this one had little, round, dark brown nuggets. Querl picked one up and bit into it, blinking when he tasted something sweet and smooth. Querl couldn't help but hum happily, letting the sweetrock melt on his tongue. Querl finished the one he had before grabbing another. He saw the man smiling at him and couldn't help but smile back.

A sudden realization hit Querl and he popped the sweetrock into his mouth. He swallowed and licked his fingers clean before facing the two-leg. He seemed to notice Querl's look and turned to face him as well, blinking when Querl spoke.

"Querl." He clicked, placing his hands to his chest to indicate himself. The man blinked and Querl repeated himself. The man suddenly seemed to understand, smiling and pointing at him while saying his name. Querl smiled and nodded and pointed at the man, earning an even bigger smile.

"Kal-el." The man said, looking ecstatic to finally be communicating with him.

"Kal-el~" Querl hummed, placing another sweetrock in his mouth to let it melt over his tongue. Kal did the same and they watched each other quietly as the sun disappeared completely, leaving them both bathed in Querl's glow.

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As always, please leave me a comment, question, or review so I know how to improve. :) Thank you~


	3. Parting

Another short one, pretty sure most of these will be short, but I'll try and make them longer when I can.

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Kal couldn't help but feel like a giddy school girl, he had made friends with a merman. Kal was currently flying back to the Intresid, a bag full of empty boxes on his hip. Querl had loved everything he tried, from the chocolate to the coffee and from the salmon to the cogbull steak. The only thing he didn't like had been the fruit, having sniffed at it and quickly turned it down.

Kal should have guessed by Querl's sharp teeth that he'd be a carnivore, but the fact that Querl was so in love with the chocolate made Kal laugh. He and Querl had sat on the beach together for several hour, translating simple things like tree and rock, sky and moon. Kal couldn't really speak in the same way Querl could, but the fishy blond seemed to understand and learn faster than anyone Kal-el had ever met.

By the time they were finished Querl was drawing things in the sand and trying to get Kal to name them, a few Kal couldn't even tell what they were, but he did his best to name the planets and each food item he had brought that night. Somehow they managed to get the idea across that they would meet at the island again. They both seemed sad when Kal got a call from his boss, Rokk, asking where he was.

Kal told him he was just relaxing on a beach and that he'd be right there. After hanging up the two young men said their strange goodbyes and went their separate way, Kal flying off towards his ship and Querl diving down and swimming towards his home.

Kal landed on the deck of the Intresid with the widest smile possible, waving when he spotted Tinya coming out to greet him in her sweats and t-shirt. He blushed when he saw her shirt had his old Superman symbol on it.

"Really Phantom?" He chuckled. "Do you have to wear that thing around the ship?"

The pale girl pouted at him, her wild bed-messed hair poofed up around her, and puts her hands on her hips.

"I happen to like your old crest," She crossed her arms. "no matter how silly it is."

Kal rolled his eyes at her and ruffled her hair as he walked past, the girl quickly flying after him.

"So what were you doing out so late?" Tinya asked, floating lazily beside him. "protecting us from unseen dangers in the dark?" She teased, wiggling her fingers in front of her in a spooky fashion. Kal rolled his eyes and pushed her away playfully, watching her drift away and turn around mid-air.

"If you must know, I was enjoy the peace and quiet and had a little picnic of sorts."

"Aw~" She whined, drifting back upside-down. "I wanna go on a picnic~"

"Heh, then why don't you ask Brin to take you on one?"

Tinya froze and turned bright red, stammering and fiddling with her hair.

"Y-You're mean." She muttered, floating over and kicking his shoulder playfully. Kal just smiled proudly and tossed his bag into his room before following Tinya to one of the hangers at the bottom of the ship where Rokk, Garth, and Luornu were all standing around one of the glass hatches, showing the ocean water sloshing around beneath them. Kal frowned and put on his serious face when Rokk turned to look at him.

"Ah, good, you're back." The purple eyed man said, running a gloved hand through his hair before tucking his hands behind his back. Garth and Luornu both turned and nodded to Kal, glad to see him back. Tinya floated over to glance down through the glass at the black water beneath.

"Yikes..." She muttered, shivering and sticking her tongue out. "that just looks creepy, I am so not going down there."

"Not in your pajamas you're not." Rokk said, no humor in his voice. Tinya pouted at him and Luornu just giggled and pulled her away to talk. Garth set down the device he was working on and stepped over, wiping his hands off on his shirt.

"Where ya been big guy? We were thinking of heading out without you." The redhead teased, making Kal just give him a smile.

"You'd never go without me, you wouldn't last a second down there."

"Oh really?" Garth asked, holding up his mechanical arm and shifting it into a massive cannon, the end lighting up with energy. "Just for that I'll make sure to bring you a big fish fillet."

Kal smiled and both men seemed to stand off for a moment, a silent, playful challenge that was a constant game bewteen the two. They only stopped when Rokk cleared his throat and waved for Kal to follow him. They walked over to a pile of special diving gear and Rokk pointed out what they were going to use for the first dive.

It was mostly just simple things like cameras, chemical readers, and sonic transmitters. Kal blinked when he spotted something in the corner. He stepped over and picked it up, looking it over. It was a metal mermaid tail, designed to fit around the stomach and hips and wrap around the legs to form a perfect fish-like tail.

"The girls insisted they get a chance to use them," Garth said, walking over and picking up another of the metal tails. "there are enough for everyone." He said, smiling at the odd look on Kal's face. Kal put the tail back, spotting a dark blue one big enough for him. Before he had a chance to pick it up Rokk placed a hand on his shoulder and asked him to come double check all the weapons and safety codes on all the equipment.

Kel did as he was asked, but cast a glance back at the tail, mentally claiming it as his and determined to use it. Garth saw the look and stole the tail away when Kal had turned and moved away, planning to improve the metal tail.

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When Querl finally reached the reef it was pitch black, all of the lights and other mermadons were tucked away, leaving Querl as the single source of light in the blackness of his home. While they all called their home a reef, the giant red orbs that stood upon thick trunks of the same red rock weren't exactly the same at the walls of coral that made up most reefs.

The red rock was the same as the walls of the pit Querl had been stuck in, but this coral was a thousand times stronger. Something about the water made the usually brittle coral as strong as any metal. Some of the mermadons were even able to guide its growth, forming the strange orbs they all called their home. Their reef. His reef.

Querl swam down below the other reefpods to where his own sat, down in the shadow of the rest. Just above it sat his guardian's home, decorated in white stones and pink silks that floated and swayed in the push and pull of the water. Querl was unsurprised when he felt Imra's gentle touch on his mind, relief, happiness, and worry all mixed in. Querl swam up to her home and pushed the silks aside, smiling when he spotted his guardian just getting up from her sandbed.

Imra's long blond hair floated around her like a long golden waterfall, framing her pale pink form perfectly. Her dark pink lips formed into a bright smile that matched her brilliant pink eyes. Her headfins dropped when she saw how he was swimming, quickly swimming over with a flick of her long, pink tail. The fins on her hips opened up and her caudal fin folded up and together to shape a single, dorsal-like fin that allowed her to curve around Querl to see his back.

"Sun above," She gasped quietly, floating closer and taking Querl's hips in her webbed hand, holding him in place with her claws. "Querl, what happened?" She asked, gently checking over the giant dark green bruise that had formed at the base of Querl's back. Querl pouted and pulled her hands away with his legs, turning to face her.

"I'm fine, I just got tossed around by the storm earlier."

"Querl," Imra whined. "you're lying...it wasn't Drax again was it?" She asked, her hand drifting to her left forearm. The long, ribbon-like fin that extended from her left arm was ripped and torn, making it much shorter than her right one. It had been snagged in Drax's teeth when Imra had saved Querl from his first encounter with the red and black monster.

"No." Querl muttered, crossing his arms when she frowned at him and swam over to open her shellbox. "...the storm washed me up on one of the islands and into a pit...I fell trying to get out and landed on some rocks." He said, lowering down to sit on the ground. Imra frowned, the gills around her ribs fluttering as she sighed.

"Oh Querl, I wish you wouldn't get so close to those islands, the fliers roost on them," She turned back around with a cold wrap in her hands. "one of these days they're going to catch you before you can fight back." She said unhappily, drifting over and settling down behind him. Querl's mind had already drifted back to Kal-el, technically he had already been caught by a flier.

The cold touch of the cloth being wrapped around Querl's middle made him squeak and turn his head to glare at her. She smiled, suppressing a giggle, and wrapped his middle the rest of the way. The cold was almost too much for Querl to bear, but it was already making the pain fade.

"Stay here tonight?" Imra whispered, her headfans dropping when Querl turned to look at her again.

"Imra, my pod is twenty feet away." Querl said, his own fins dropping at the sad look on his guardian's face. He sighed and turned away, waving a hand through the water. "Fine, I'll stay, but just tonight." He clicked when she grabbed him in a tight hug, nuzzling his cheek and tickling him with her hair.

Imra uncovered another sand bed and made sure Querl was settled deep in the sand before laying down in her own bed and wiggling down into the warm sand. She sighed happily and glanced down at Querl, quickly frowning when the odd lighting revealed something she hadn't seen before.

"Querl? What's that patch on your back?" She asked, sitting up again, frowning at Querl's flinch.

"It's nothing, go to sleep." Querl said, his voice sounding too stoic. Imra could feel the panic welling up in Querl's mind, begging her not to ask. Imra surprised him by laying back down and rolling over.

"Alright," She said, sounding as calm as she could manage. "good night little brother."

Querl flinched at the endearing term and curled up as much as his back would allow. He muttered back a 'good night' and sat quietly until Imra had fallen asleep, finally able to think back to Kal-el. Something about the land-walker was both fascinating and intoxicating. There was no way he could let Imra know about him just yet, not until he was sure the mammal meant no harm.

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As always~

Please leave me a comment or review to let me know what you think ^^ It really helps to keep me motivated~


	4. Translating

**'Nother chapter~ Little longer this time~ Also! I'm going to make this story rated M on here, but if you wanna read it in cleaner form go find it on DeviantArt.**

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Querl woke up just as the ocean was beginning to brighten, the sun steaming down and lighting up the reef. He shook off the sand that had half-buried him and stretched out his back, humming pleasantly when he felt barely any pain. He undid the wrap and folded it up, laying it on top of Imra's shellbox and swimming out as quietly as he could.

Querl found he had a strange habit of waking up long before anyone else, leaving him to enjoy the peace and quiet of early morning. Querl took a deep breath and swam down towards his reefpod, rolling the disk-shaped rock he used as a door out of the way and disappearing inside. His natural glow made it easy to see inside the pitch black home.

Querl's home was much larger on the inside than the entrance suggested, spanning back into the rocky ground thanks to Imra's ability to mould the coral to her, and Querl's, liking. Querl opened his shellbox and dug around for a moment, pulling out a giant, round, green snail shell that was almost the same color as his skin and loading it up with various different things. Including, but not limited to, a cloth book, a few different colored cloths, and a few stone tiles with different things carved on them.

When the shell was full Querl slipped the braided vine straps over his arms and tied the loose ends around his waist, shifting the shell until it was secure on his back. Querl then turned and swam out, halting when he found Nura there, swimming back and forth with worry, her long, feathery silver tail swaying behind her. When she saw him she swam up and hugged her scaled arms around her waist.

"Are you-?" She started, cut off by Querl holding up a hand.

"I'm fine Nura," He said, watching her both sigh in relief, but also pout her blue-grey lips. "but...your dream was right you know." He said, looking away towards the island, not seeing Nura's surprised look. "The storm did toss me around...and I did meet the two-leg."

Nura's eyes widened and she shot closer, stopped by Querl holding up his hand again, giving her an oddly soft look.

"Please Nura, don't tell Imra and the others just yet, I want to know more before I tell them."

"But Querl-"

"Please." Querl begged, his headfins drooping with his sad look. Not even the silver-haired seer could resist those sad green and purple eyes. She nodded and Querl offered her a small smile. Querl tried to swim away, but was grabbed by the wrist. Nura held on and gave him a slightly worried look.

"Please, let me make sure." She begged, her feathery headfins dropping so low they nearly vanished behind her waves of silver-white hair. Querl frowned, he didn't really want to know what the future would bring, but Nura seemed too worried to let him go without a small peek.

Querl's eyes drifted to the cross-shaped scar on her grey cheek, something that sat as a reminder as to what happened when he had completely ignored Nura the first time. The second time was something none of them would ever talk about, but had resulted in Querl making the butterfly shaped, silver chestplate that Nura now wore on a daily basis. The incident with the storm and Kal-el had been the third time he'd ignored her warnings.

It was a natural reaction however, Nura was still very young and her visions seldom actually came to pass or they would happen with a much different outcome than she expected. Imra was the only one who ever took Nura's visions with complete trust and faith.

Querl sighed and nodded and Nura took hold of both his wrists, the small silver nodes on her waist grew out into thin little tentacles that reached up and touched Querl's temples. It took a moment but Querl felt Nura relax and a light sigh escaped her. Nura didn't need physical contact, but it always seemed to help when she was trying to peer into a certain someone's future.

Unsurprisingly the tiny silver scales that covered her hands made them almost useless for the task, so instead she used the thin, sensitive tentacles that grew from her hips, originally built for much more intimate actions. Querl waited quietly, his mind elsewhere until Nura suddenly gasped and recoiled away from him, her hands flying to cover her mouth, her tentacles shooting back down into little silver bumps.

They stared at one another for a moment before Nura suddenly took off in the opposite direction, Querl called after her, stopping when she went right past Imra's home and swam straight out of the reef. Querl was left floating there with confusion and worry etched on his face. He contemplated going after her, but shook it off and swam away, sure that Nura would calm down and tell him what she saw eventually.

Querl left the reef and swam up to the island, peeking out to see if Kal-el was there. When he didn't see him he dragged himself up onto the sand and to the treeline to sit in the shade. He removed his shell and set it aside, shifting it under the underbrush and laying down in the warm sand.

He actually had no idea if Kal-el would show up, they had gotten it across that they would meet on the island again, but they hadn't been able to really set a day or time. That was something a little too advanced for their minimal communication skills at the time, something Querl sought to remedy. He was actually very nervous about Kal-el and getting so close to him. But his curiosity far outweighed his fear.  
Querl yawned and crawled under some of the brush as well, stretching out on the sand and shifting some of the sand over himself and his legs so he could sleep without being seen. Once he was thoroughly covered, just his head and shoulders sticking out he closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep, still thinking about Kal and Nura's behavior.

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Kal let out an irritated sigh, uncrossing one arm to rest his chin in his palm. He was hovering above the group, watching them work and making sure nothing went wrong. He was to make sure nothing tipped, fell and broke or fell on anyone. Kal had insisted he could move all the equipment much faster and safer than the others, but Rokk had waved him off and said that Brin, Thom, and he had it under control.

So now Kal was stuck watching them move everything to the center of the hanger for the recon mission into the depths of the ocean. The ocean. Kal's mind drifted. If he went with the recon group would he see Querl again? He was supposed to meet him on the island, but he didn't know when. Maybe if he dove down with the others he could find him even sooner.

Kal jumped when his superhearing caught the soft groan of metal about to break. He pinpointed it as the bolts that were holding up one of the genepods and flew over, catching it as the bolts broke and quickly welding it in place with his heat-vision.

"Nice catch Kal." Garth chuckled, who had been right next to the pod, working on charging up the lights they were to take with them. It was incredibly handy to have the electrically charged Winathian on their crew, as he constantly used his lightning to charge the ship and most of the equipment on board.

Kal smiled and raised a hand in response, not really feeling like talking. He flew back up to his lookout spot and crossed his arms, leaning back in the air and crossing his legs as well. Two hours passed by with only one more incident, caused by Luornu's purple half slipping in a puddle near the hatch and cracked the glass with one of the shield belts she had been carrying.

Kal had fixed it easily, but insisted he carry the shield belts for her. The heavy gold helts were built to power their gear as well as put up personal shields in instances of attack. They had been a 'gift' from the Coluan government in order to test the belt's capabilities and durability. So far they worked wonders, but the shields took up massive amounts of energy and only lasted a few minutes at a time.

Finally everything was ready for the dive into the blackened depths of the massive ocean. Sadly, the group was not. Tired from hauling everything the group decided that lunch and some rest was required before the dive. Tinya was the only one who wasn't surprised when Kal snagged some food and sped away from the Intresid at top speed.

Kal reached the island in mere moments, landing and skidding to a halt. He glanced around the trees before looking out to sea and calling out Querl's name. He waited for a moment before he felt his heart start to sink. Maybe Querl hadn't come back yet or maybe Kal had missed him. Kal set down his bag and cupped his hands around his mouth, calling out for Querl once again.

"Kal-el?"

Kal spun around and blinked when he saw Querl lifting up from the sand, previously hidden by the brush. Querl smiled back and yawned, having obviously been sleeping. Kal-el couldn't help but laugh as the green man shook off the white sand and stretched his arms out like a cat, his back arching and his tentacles curling and twisting happily.

"You came back~" Kal cooed, smiling more when Querl looked up at him and smiled back, chittering in his own language. He moved to sit down and watched Querl move to join him, pausing and grabbing something from the underbrush before moving down to sit beside Kal-el. Once again they seemed to fall into a strange form of comfort as they talked and shared Kal's lunch.

When Kal asked about the shell Querl had beamed and started pulling things out and setting them out. The cloth book was what caught Kal's attention first and foremost. He picked it up and opened it, finding not only detailed pictures sewn into the pages, but detailed lettering. Instantly Kal-el knew that Querl came from a very intelligent race, one that had, not only a spoken language, but a written one as well.

Querl pulled Kal's attention from the book for a moment to look at the different colored cloths, having Kal-el tell him what each color was and how to say each word. He then showed him the stone tablets and had him tell him the words for the things in each picture. He did the same with the cloth book.

It didn't take them long to figure out that both their alphabets had 26 letters in them and were built in a similar fashion. Thanks to this discovery they quickly wrote out words in the sand for several of the words Querl already knew and they found translating was much easier this way.

They had a full hour and a half for Querl to learn Kal-el's alphabet, how each letter could sound, and how it translated into his own. By the end they were talking in full sentences by writing in the sand to one another. They laid together hip-to-hip as they laughed and drew, talking of Querl's planet verses Kal-el's. Everything Kal talked about seemed to awe Querl.

The thing that drew his attention the most was the technology, something Querl seemed to have a minimal understanding of. Querl explained that 'metal stars', Kal figured he meant satellites, fell every so often that he would find and study, figuring out its internal workings. Kal chuckled and removed his belt, handing the heavy gold belt to Querl to look at.

Kal did his best to explain what it was and what it did and showed Querl some of the inner workings, explaining that he'd show how it worked if he knew how. Querl played with the belt and its inner workings like a child with a new toy. Kal didn't mind letting Querl mess with it, since he never really needed it and he could always just get Garth to fix it later.

Querl froze when Kal's com went off, the dark-hair kryptonian lifting the communicator up and answering it with a smile. Kal was a little downcast when Rokk told him to come back, but after he hung up he explained to Querl what he was going to do and asked him if he wanted to come with him.

For the first time Kal-el watched Querl frown and shake his head, looking a little afraid. Kal asked him what was wrong and Querl wrote that he was worried how his family would react to them. Kal and Querl sat quietly for a moment before Kal-el asked Querl where he lived. Querl almost didn't answer, but his heart spoke before his brain could stop him. Querl pointed straight out toward his home and watched Kal-el nod.

"I'll keep them away." Kal said, smiling at Querl as he worked to translate what Kal had said. "Until you're ready." He said, standing and brushing the sand off his butt. Querl sat still as he watched him, he was sure he understood Kal's words, but not his intentions. Kal motioned to the belt and winked at Querl.

"Hold onto that for me, okay?" He chuckled, watching Querl make a face as he translated, nodding when he figured it out. Kal picked up his bag and pet Querl's head, telling him he'd see him tomorrow before lifting up and flying away at a lazy pace. Querl sat and watched until Kal-el was completely out of sight before he slowly packed his stuff away and slipped his shell back onto his back.

He paused when he saw the belt, picking it up and running his fingers over the cold golden metal. Cation screamed at him to leave it buried in the sand or to leave it hidden in the brush, but Kal's words rung in his ears and he clicked it around his waist, feeling it grow warm and comforting.

Querl dove into the water and swam home just as Kal-el reached the Intresid. Kal was greeted by Garth holding the dark blue, metal tail he had looked at the day before. This time however it had yellow fins with red edges. Kal rolled his eyes and sighed at Garth, but the older man just laughed and tossed the tail to him, telling his to suit up and meet them in the hanger.

Kal did as he was told, changing into a slimming black and blue wet-suit before going to meet the others. Tinya was already in her white and black wet-suit with her white, black-finned tail swishing behind her as she 'swam' around the others' heads.

Garth's dark blue suit matched his tail, neon-blue lightning bolts ran down his sides. Brin's black and orange suit matched his black tail. Rokk's black and purple tail matched well enough with his black, purple, and silver suit, but Luornu's white, purple, and orange suit and tail seemed like a whirlwind of color, her scales were alternating in color so there was no separation from the white and purple or from the purple to orange.

Kal looked around and saw Reep, Salu, and Thom standing off to the side, dressed in their usual atire. He walked over and tilted his head to them.

"Are you not going with us?" He asked, watching Thom shake his head.

"Nah, Rokk asked us to stay behind to watch the ship and to sort through whatever info you guys send us."

"And to come get you guys if anything goes wrong on either end." Salu said, her small voice barely audible. Kal nodded sadly and went to join the others, chuckling when Tinya soared over his head as a giggling mess. Kal hurried to get his tail on, as the others moved to the hatch, and flew over to join them when he was done. Garth handed him a respirator and Kal slipped the thin metal mask over his mouth and nose, watching the others do the same.

Kal couldn't help but sigh as he looked down into the deep. He was finally going to go down into Querl's world, but he was going to have to steer the others away from Querl's home. He knew no one in his group would do anything to hurt Querl and his family, but Querl was afraid of him still and he didn't want that. Diving into the black water Kal quickly turned the group in the opposite direction of Querl's home, heading the group as he swam in the exact opposite direction he wanted to go.

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Hope you enjoyed it, please comment and review and let me know what you thought and what you want to see.


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